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Garden City River Rod Run to Celebrate 50 Years of the Ford Mustang

The 14th Annual Garden City River Rod Run will celebrate 50 Years of the Ford Mustang in Caras Park, Friday and Saturday, June 27 and 28. The two day show will feature Mustangs from 1964 to present, along with various other makes and models, coming to Missoula from all over the Northwest.

The Show and Shine will take place Friday evening 5-9 pm, while attendees enjoy the live music of local band Zoo City. Highlighting the weekend’s festivities is the Friday NightCruisin’ Parade on Higgins Avenue from 9-10 pm. The Show and Shine will continue on Saturday from 11 am-4 pm, and awards will be given out starting at 3 pm.

In addition to the usual feature cars, one specialty vehicle will make its way from Red Lodge, Mont. to Missoula, Mont. for the first time ever. Two brothers from Billings, Mont., Don and John Mueller, will bring a 1937 White Model 706 Yellowstone Park Touring Bus – known as “Bus 401” – to the hot rod event.

The Mueller Brothers are founding members of the Montana non-profit organization, Buses of Yellowstone Preservation Trust (BOYPT). BOYPT was formed in 2008 by a small group of passionate individuals in an effort to ensure these special vehicles, built between 1917 and 1939, were restored and preserved for future generations.

Bus 401 was built by White Motor Company in Cleveland, Ohio. It was completed on April 29, 1937 and became the 12th of 40 buses built specifically for Yellowstone Park Company that year. This particular bus operated in Yellowstone Park from 1937 to 1960 until it was purchased by a family and converted into a camper. In 1965, Bus 401 was parked in a barn in Bozeman, Mont. and didn’t see the light of day again until BOYPT purchased the vehicle in 2011. This will mark the historic vehicle’s first visit to Missoula.

“Our goal is to share the mission of Buses of Yellowstone Preservation Trust with Western Montana”, said Vice President of the organization, Don Mueller. “We want to give the Missoula community an opportunity to see a pretty amazing piece of Montana history that began touring Yellowstone Park nearly 80 years ago.”

Questions regarding the Garden City River Rod Run can be directed to the Missoula Downtown Association at 543-4238 or jenny@missouladowntown.com. Questions regarding Buses of Yellowstone Preservation Trust can be directed to Don Mueller at 860-5910 or don.mueller@boypt.org.